Peth A.K.A Kothligad Pictures

Pinnacle of Peth and the hutments at base

Same place - same tree

Peculiarly shaped Padar Killa and Siddhagad at Distance

Locals working in the Paddy fields

Khandas-Bhimashankar range of Western ghats

The base of the fort. Taken from the base of the caves.

On the way up the pinnacle

Lush green mountain slopes with Padar Killa at distance

Pinnacle lost in clouds towards the evening.

Peth A.K.A. Kothligad

I got a call from Ajax on Wednesday. He said he had a bunch of guys with him from office which meant other than B and GD we had lot more heads and biking was ruled out. I was given the glorious job of deciding on the destination, so I took the liberty to dump the travel booking etc to Ajax. After lot of factors considering the two couples, prospects of rains, humidity blah blah. We headed towards Peth. Primarily because I had been there before and I did not want to scare the mere mortals on the bus with the idea of "Gee.. look this guy has no idea where he is taking us". So venturing into unknowns was turned down.

We got going about 8.00 from Pune, [ pretty early by the standards we set]. Had breakfast in Lonavala. On the way, some bright kid called up one of his drunk Sardar mate left behind in Baner to come join us in Lonavala, which surprisingly he did in record time. This Sardar could go on to become India's hope in MotoGP trust me.

For the sake of it and some people really do need these : Directions :
Get to Khopoli from Pune via NH4/Expressway. Take the Khopoli exit. Take the right turn to Karjat. Reach Karjat. Cross the bridge over Ulhas river and proceed to Murbad. At about 11 odd Kms from Karjat is Kashele. Take a right here towards Ambivali. This again is about 12 Kms. From Ambivali start your climb to Peth.

We reached after quite a leisurely journey. When we set off, it was raining in Pune, though oddly this part showed no traces and had been this way apparently for past 8-10 days. Peth is the most amazing place one can visit monsoons I guess. Particularly for the sight of numerous waterfalls that plunge the mountain slopes as you are on your way up.

Our leisurely journey continued till the small hamlet on the top. Here we had a brief pit stop and moved ahead. Ambivali has a lake at the base which is fed by one particularly beautiful waterfall which is a bit off the climbing route. It did get overcast at the end of the day. The fort has sole survivor canon and some fortification. There are steps dug out from inside the rock. Overall quite a tough base for a skirmish I guess. From the top one can spot the oddly shaped Padar Killa, triangular Siddhagad beyond and the Khandas Bhimashankar range of Western ghats.

The small set of hutments at base provide accomodation/chai/beedi etc etc. Watch out for a piece of a Canon in front of a shop called "Ganesh Kirana Stores". The owner guy claimed he got it in order to save it from others trying to steal it and take it away. The same guy has a necklace with what he claims as a "Royal Bengal Tiger tooth". Claims it was about 12 years ago that the villagers had found it dead in the valley. Claims there are leopards in the valley below, which is very true going by the fact that 30 odd leopards from Junnar were actually intentionally released in the Bhimashankar wildlife sanctuary.

I would have been happy if it rained. I met quite a few enthusiastic people on this trip. Met a father of two and three of them were going to camp here for night. Apparently this guy visits every year in monsoon and winters for past 12 years. I was in here with B, P and A in 2003. We had biked all the way from Pune. Now both B and P are gone, so much has changed. A is married and busy. I hope I carry on like this guy.

Check the entire imagestation album here.

Palasdari Pictures

Foggy NH-4 in Khandala

Enroute Palasdari - Khopoli-Karjat Road

Karajat Khopoli train route - Background Palasdari Fort

Lush Vegetation and Waterfalls enroute the Fort

At the base of the Fort

Looking at the Valley below from the base of the Fort

The only construction than the water tanks on the Fort.One of the two water tanks on the top of the Fort.

Palasdari

This week buddies and me decided to give Palasdari a shot. This place seems to be fairly popular with the Mumbai guys though not people from Pune. I had known about Palasdari for some time while traveling on the Khopoli Karjat road so getting there was no issue.

We caught up at Chevrolet showroom on NH-4 near Soos road, had some omlet and chai at Tapri and headed towards our destination Palasdari. Essentially to get here from Pune you got to :
- Travel till Khopoli from Pune by NH4. Take the right from Khopoli to Karjat. Palasdari is about 7Km from Khopoli. Take a right here and park your vehicles at the grocery shop or a hamlet. You got to take a walk from here.

We got across the guarded railway crossing for the locals, after which there is the Karjat-Khopoli train link. One needs to cross these and start a climb from the electricity tower to the left at the base of the hill. You can spot the fort which is the highest point around this area.

Our journey way up was full with insect bites and loosing our way. If you have to go here, prob. going there with someone who has been here before or hiring the services of a local expert is a good idea. Unfortunately for us, we couldn't recruit the expert on this day. Essentially you got to get up, go to the right end of the fort, go round it and climb from a narrow ridge between two pinnacles.

There's hardly anything there atop, two water tanks decorate the little area on the top. There is just a little sign of some fortification at the entrance. From the top one can spot Khopoli and Palasdari dam below. You can also spot Morbe dam near Chowk and a river which is prob. Ulhas river.

We lost our way on the way back twice when it was almost dark. Ultimately with just loosing altitude in the right direction [ Palasdari Lake ] as the prime focus we did magically manage to get down to the point from where we had started. Overall, I dont know who ever goes to the fort ? Most of the ppl who turn up are retards carrying loads of booze, go to the waterfall, act like pigs by the Palasdari Lake. Ironic !!

Find the complete imagestation album here.